Bug reporting is a pain.
Try reporting it unsolved
I am going to add something to this whole /run/usr/1000 discussion. Last week I found an app “local send” for sending files between computers on the local network. I swear last week I had no issues in sending a lot of image files from Pop OS on laptop to LM on desktop. Today, I kept trying to send a pdf from LM to Pop and with “Quick Save” on, I would never see it appear, but in settings, you have the destination (says (Downloads)) and checking file history it was there all 3x I sent it, but with errors.
Needless to say I dug in to see what the issue was and found that in settings, “(Destination)” when clicked changed to: /run/1000/user/c7a2137f/myviolinsings-acer. And if I click it again, the files open for choosing where to save. I navigate to home/downloads/ and choose Open. Go back to settings and click downloads, and it still reports /run/user/1000/ BUT the newly selected location generates a new alpha numeric folder/downloads. And choosing a new location will generate a different folder each time.
Checking file manager, those folders are actually there but of course, run has the lock symbol on it, thus the errors in Local Send that it cannot save the received file.
Today I installed Fedora 38 on my old Surface Pro 7 (which is working nicely) and so I tried to send the file to there and voila…it worked. Looking at settings in Fedora’s Local Send app, destination actually reads /home/downloads as it should elsewhere.
The only thing I can think of on the other 2 computers is that I use symlinks to those /home folders. Could that be causing this?
I will say that all 3 have the Flatpak version installed, but if it works on Fedora–why not on LM and Pop?
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I was hoping it was just a badly packaged Brave-browser flatpak causing the issue. I hope it’s not something more malevolent.
Are you referring the app used for “local send”? Since we were using different browsers, do you think there may be a common package that is used by all of the respective browsers that is causing the issue?
Try re-installing your browers with a non-flatpak version.
I hope not. I led you into that.
It looks like an LM problem, but it just might be triggered by
symlinks.
On the other hand, @ed1 had the problem with LM, and I dont think Ed used symlinks to /home
Snaps have to access the filesystem via the OS… they are not totally independent of the OS. So the interaction between a snap and LM is where the issue may lie.
Correction:
@Sheila_Flanagan
Sorry, that should be flatpak not snap
@ed1 fixed his problem by doing a non-flatpak install… that says the issue somehow involves flatpak
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Yes–I installed the app from the Pop Shop on Pop OS and LM store on desktop. Browsers should not come into play here…but I am thinking Flatpak issues? be they browsers or apps?
Still seems strange that Flatpak local send app in Fedora does not do this, but am new to Fedora and not sure but what it has some safeguard to prevent this in any app.
I’ll do some more digging.
Sheila
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But the issue is on both LM & Pop. Whether sending or receiving files, the destination is getting rerouted to a root folder. I don’t even understand how it could “create” a root subfolder.
I’m gonna keep digging.
Sheila
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They are both Ubuntu based
Keep digging
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I can attest that installing the local send app by downloading .deb file from website and installing in both LM & Pop fixed this issue immediately and files were sent/received without issue.
This just solidifies my wariness of using flatpaks. It seems most Linux stores are now providing them exclusively and while I do not understand why those flatpak versions are newer/updated over the system packages, I will look to install apps direct from sites hereafter.
Sheila
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You reached the same conclusion as @ed1
You say flatpaks provide a more recent app version than
a package install.
and
I would seem they also provide more bugs?
So, find a distro that provides proper packages from a repo.
Is that the recommendation?
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Nice job Shelia. I spent a fair amount time as a new Linux user trying to understand the debate around Flatpaks vs Snaps vs AppImages vs direct. Can’t say I understand fully the necessity for repackaging, but having been bitten by a Flatpak that was easily fixed by going back to a direct install, I’m now apprehensive of Flatpaks as well.
Thank you Shelia for expanding on this issue.
If you have time could you start a new thread explaining why you are using symlinks to the /home folders. I’ve never used symlinks and my curiosity is piqued. What is the benefit?
Thanks,
Ed
What Shiela was aiming to do was to
- use /home only for dot files, and
- keep all her personal data elsewhere in a data directory.
The links are just a convenience
The idea of not using /home becomes important when you
multiboot more than one distro. Two distros can both use one copy of your personal data, but they cant share dot files. So you give each distro a /home to keep its dot files in, and put your own
data elsewhere.
@Sheila_Flanagan may like to add something to that. She has it down to a fine art.
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I see. One thing I love about learning is each new answer brings forward many more questions. So much to learn but so little time.
Thanks Neville.
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@ed1 & @nevj let me further this explanation in that just last week I took my last laptop with W11 and completely removed it and installed Pop OS. The fastest install ever since I did not have to backup my personal files since they reside on an external hdd which each of my /home folders point to.
So /home/Documents, which can get extremely large for me, is actually not eating up disk space, nor do I have to worry about forgetting anything important with a new install on the same internal drive. As well, I dual boot Kubuntu & LM and can access the same files easily from that external drive due to symlinks.
As for the flatpak issue, I also found it crazy that these things can access sys files when their very creation is supposed to “sandbox” and only use those necessary to make an app run. The only problem we face now is so many developers who choose to include Linux downloads are either doing snap, flatpak, or appimage, and MAYBE a .deb file…which won’t work on Fedora et al. That leaves us with little choice.
But believe me, as I am determined to just install apps in terminal from repos, I am looking very closely before I decide to use one that does not satisfy the download requirements for various linux distros. It may require more research time at the onset, but less headache in the long run.
Sheila
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That is a serious question.
Maybe we need to run all flatpaks inside firejail?
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Add that to my list of current Linux research items. Did not know we could. What with trying to get the old Surface running again, and trying to start my install of W10 in qemu on Pop OS (only for 2 remaining clients that I have not converted 
) , I have plenty to fill the school days this week and next. LOL.
Sheila
PS. Forgot I have to learn new CLI for Fedora !!!
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Hi Neville, 
I´m afraid it can´t be done. 
You can not firejail a flatpak.
Bubblewrap (the tool used by flatpak for sandboxing) does not work well/at all (depending on multiple conditions) inside firejail.
Flatpaks have its own sandbox, tweak this if necessary.
You cannot run snaps in firejail either. That´s the main reason I don´t like snaps.
But:
You can firejail appimages (and every normally installed programme as well, of course) 
.
Sometimes - when I feel like it - I run cool retro term as an appimage in firejail:
cd /media/rosika/f14a27c2-0b49-4607-94ea-2e56bbf76fe1/DATEN-PARTITION/Dokumente/Ergänzungen_zu_Programmen/zu_cool-retro-term/; and firejail --profile=/etc/firejail/default.profile --appimage --private=(pwd) ./Cool-Retro-Term-1.1.1-x86_64.AppImage; and cd
Many greetings from Rosika 
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@Rosika yes, I found this to be true as well. No flatpak in firejail. I don’t use snaps, but good to know. However, there are some apps that only give me flatpak, snap OR AppImage and now I can run them inside firejail.
Thanks,
Sheila
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Thanks, Sheila, for your feedback 
Yes, appimages are not a problem for firejail.
It provides a dedicated parameter for that.
--appimage
Sandbox an AppImage (https://appimage.org/) application. If the
sandbox is started as a regular user, nonewprivs and a default
capabilities filter are enabled. private-bin and private-lib
are disabled by default when running appimages.
Example:
$ firejail --appimage --profile=krita krita-3.0-x86_64.appimage
$ firejail --quiet --appimage --private --profile=krita
krita-3.0-x86_64.appimage
$ firejail --appimage --net=none --x11 --profile=krita
krita-3.0-x86_64.appimage
[...]
(from man-pages)
Cheers from Rosika
Have a nice New Years Eve/Day. 
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